Poll Shows Americans Divided On Repeal Of Healthcare Law

2/27/2012 4:21 PM ET

Americans are divided on whether or not they favor a Republican president's repealing of President Obama's health care law, according to a new poll, although a majority of those surveyed believe the mandate is unconstitutional.

If a Republican is elected president this November, 47 percent of Americans said they would favor the repeal of the healthcare law and 44 percent said they would oppose the repeal, according to the results of a new USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

There is a sharp political divide over support for the health care law, with 87 percent of Republicans favoring repeal and 77 percent of Democrats opposing it.

The poll also found that 72 percent of those surveyed believe the law's requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance is unconstitutional. Even 56 percent of Democrats think that the individual mandate is unconstitutional.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 has been said to be Obama's most significant legislative achievement to date. However, the law's requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance or pay a fine has been a controversial issue among Americans.

Next month, the Supreme Court will hear legal challenges to the law.

The poll was based on telephone interviews conducted February 20th through February 21st with a sample of 1,040 adults. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.